CNN's John Berman bemoaned how medical marijuana is still illegal in many jurisdictions on the 7 March 2014 edition of This Hour, and hinted that executive action needed be taken to fix this situation. After noting that "one of the problems right now is the federal law," Berman asked, "Can't they change this? Can't a stroke of the pen change this problem?"

Doctor Sanjay Gupta also played up sob stories of those with chronic illnesses who are affected by this federal regulation, and underlined its apparent damaging impact:

DR. SANJAY GUPTA: ...[T]he patients out there, especially the parents of these children – I mean, they're incredibly frustrated. They live in their home states, where...they don't have access to these medications. They see it potentially working for their kids, but they can't get it. So, it's really frustrating...I use the word 'draconian'...and it's not a word I use very often. It's probably an overused word, but I think it perfectly describes this. It's – we feel like we have gone back to the Dark Ages, where politics has trumped science.